1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for attaching a closure to a blowmolded bottle. More particularly, this invention relates to the use of the holding ring of the bottle preform as the attachment means for the closure.
2. Background of the Invention
There are many ways to attach a closure to a bottle. There are built in various mechanisms to latch the closure onto a bottle. The latching usually is onto the neck of the bottle. The neck is the portion above the bottle shoulder and includes the spout portion that channels the contents of the bottle into a narrowed area for dispensing from the bottle. The neck of the bottle will have threads or other attachment means for the securing of the closure onto the bottle.
It has been found that for blowmolded bottles that the ledge on the neck that is used to support the preform being handled during heating, and transport to the blowmold and in the blowmold can be used to attach and secure a closure to the blown bottle. This ledge usually is a continuous support flange that surrounds the neck of the bottle. However, it can be a discontinuous support flange in a plurality of segments. In this way, this flange that is used in the blowmolding of the bottle from the preform is subsequently also used to secure a closure to the blown bottle. A closure will have a continuous or discontinuous projecting ledge on a structure depending from the closure to provide an interference fit with the support flange on the neck of the bottle. This interference fit secures the closure to the bottle.
This invention is directed to the use of the support flange on the neck of a bottle that supports the bottle preform also to be used as a part of the mechanism to secure a closure onto the bottle. That is, the support flange on the neck of a bottle preform and subsequently on the neck of a bottle is used to support the bottle during blowmolding and to secure a closure onto the bottle.
The preform from which a bottle is to be blowmolded must be handled and placed in a mold. The preform is heated to a temperature of about 85xc2x0 C. to about 200xc2x0 C. for blowmolding depending on the material. During this time, the preform will be supported by a flange on the neck of the preform, and which eventually will be on the neck of the bottle. This support flange can be continuous or discontinuous, it only need be of a structure to support the preform prior to being placed into the mold and to be supported in the mold.
The closure will have a latching mechanism to latch onto the flange on the bottle neck which was the support flange of bottle preform. This latching mechanism can depend from the top wall or from the sidewall of the closure. Usually, it will depend from the top wall and coordinate with the seal for the bottle. This will be one or more depending latching sections that will provide an interference fit with the support flange of the bottle.
The seal will depend from the top wall and will in most instances be the friction fit of a mating section into the bottle spout. This can be on the inner or outer surface of the bottle spout, and usually will be on the inner surface.